Southeast Asian Clubs: In a Dilemma

Everything would have been fine if Indonesian football administrators had not reacted strongly to the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) before deciding to abandon the ASEAN Club Championship.

Nam Dinh players will compete in 5 tournaments in the 2025 - 2026 season - Photo: NAM DINH FC

The story of Indonesian football clubs has raised many problems for clubs in particular and Southeast Asian football in general. specific, clubs in the Southeast Asian region are at risk of being overloaded in the 2025-2026 season when they have to compete in domestic, regional and Asian arenas.

Clubs in Southeast Asia are... "advancing Asia"

In recent years, Southeast Asian clubs have begun to pay special attention to the Asian arena. Many teams from Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam have made strong investments to improve their competitiveness in continental tournaments. Even clubs such as Buriram, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Lion City Sailors... have advanced far in the tournaments they have participated in by playing fairly, even winning against strong opponents.

The reason why Southeast Asian clubs are serious about the Asian tournament is because this is one of the development paths. The success of the club brings a brand to the national championship, strongly and comprehensively affecting football.

This has contributed to creating a highly competitive national team. V-League clubs were previously not interested in the Asian arena, but now they have gradually changed. Last year, Nam Dinh Club invested heavily to strengthen its strength in the AFC Champions League Two.

Although they have not made a big impression, the determination of the team from Thanh Nam has helped Asia have a more positive view of the V-League. At the same time, it has made big clubs in Vietnam believe that if they are willing to invest and be serious, success in the Asian arena is completely possible.

The Birth of the ASEAN Club Championship

However, when Southeast Asian clubs are trying to reach out to the big sea, they seem to be "held back" by the appearance of... ASEAN Club Championship. In terms of ideas, ASEAN Club Championship was born to increase competition, evaluate strength and contribute to raising the level of Southeast Asian clubs. However, the fact that the tournament's schedule overlaps with AFC tournaments makes the tournament a significant burden for the clubs.

specifically, with the ASEAN Club Championship, clubs in Southeast Asia have to compete in 4-5 different arenas in one season. A typical example is Nam Dinh Club next season will compete in 5 arenas including: National Super Cup, V-League, National Cup, ASEAN Club Championship and AFC Champions League Two. This is also the first time in the history of Vietnamese football that a team participated in 5 tournaments in one season.

Another example of the inadequacy of having two Southeast Asian and Asian club competitions is the case of Buriram. Last year, Buriram played in both the AFC Champions League Elite and the ASEAN Club Championship. The Thai team's entry into the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite forced a change in their schedule for the ASEAN Club Championship. composed, instead of playing in the semi-finals at the same time as Hanoi Police Club, Buriram was scheduled to play a week later.

With such a high competition density, it is difficult for Southeast Asian clubs to play well in all competitions. They have to weigh the pros and cons of each tournament and focus only on the main goal. Of course, the top Southeast Asian clubs will focus on the Asian competition. At that time, the ASEAN Club Championship will suffer because the quality of the tournament will decrease because the participating clubs do not have the highest determination.

Many experts will argue that the big clubs in Southeast Asia have the financial resources to invest in both arenas. But that would be very risky, because the teams could easily fall into a situation of "burning the rice and burning the rice". The appearance of the ASEAN Club Championship clearly makes Southeast Asian clubs more difficult. This tournament has not shown a significant role in the development of Southeast Asian football, and even makes things more confusing for the clubs.

NOSTALGIA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cac-clb-o-dong-nam-a-roi-vao-tinh-the-kho-xu-20250706091840763.htm